Israeli soldiers accused of smuggling iPhones and cigarettes into Gaza
Israel’s justice ministry charged a dozen people, including Israeli soldiers, with systematically smuggling goods into Gaza, according to a statement by the country’s prosecutor on Wednesday.
The indictment charged the accused—some described in the case as army reservists—with smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of goods into Gaza, including cigarettes, iPhones and batteries. Prosecutors said the defendants were charged with “assisting the enemy during wartime,” alleging they acted while aware of the possibility that the items would reach Hamas and its operatives.
The case also raises questions about how goods can reach Hamas despite Israel’s stated controls on what enters the territory. In recent weeks, local media reported that Israeli officials suspected smuggling was ongoing in Gaza by active-duty and reserve soldiers as well as others, according to the Associated Press report.
The prosecutor’s statement described a role for the wider security apparatus as well. It linked the brother of Israel’s chief of domestic security, Shin Bet chief David Zini, to the smuggling ring, while saying he was not named among those indicted.
Prosecutors said Bezalel Zini served in reserve duty at the time and had “authorization to bring convoys of vehicles” into Gaza. The statement said Zini was complicit in helping smuggle cigarettes into Gaza after being “offered bribes” by one of the defendants; earlier this week, Zini’s lawyer said his client denies all “suspicions” attributed to him.
The indictment said the smuggling occurred during several months leading up to and after an October ceasefire, when prosecutors described Gaza as a closed military zone and said control over incoming goods was of “paramount importance” to Hamas. Prosecutors identified tobacco and cigarettes as a key smuggled product, saying Israel has barred those goods from Gaza and that the commodity has earned Hamas millions of dollars since the start of the war.
The prosecutor also alleged specific methods for moving goods into the strip. The indictment said some items—including communication cables and car parts—entered Gaza under false pretenses, appearing as if they were related to army activity, and that after crossing the border the goods were taken to an agreed-upon delivery point inside Gaza that was coordinated with someone there before the smugglers returned to Israel.
Separate reporting referenced in the Associated Press account pointed to how such arrangements might operate. An internal PowerPoint presentation from Gaza’s Chamber of Commerce from December described coordination that would allow entry of “sealed closed Israeli” trucks loaded with high-value goods through direct contact with “unknown channels” in Israel outside the crossing system, and it said illegal fees to get goods across could be in the millions of dollars per shipment.
In addition to the wartime-assistance allegation, the prosecutor’s statement said the case included charges of financing terror activity, fraud and bribery. The prosecutor said the office filed a request to seize defendants’ property, including vehicles, real estate and money.